Series of events to mark Fairview’s centennial
By Kevin Kelley
Fairview Park
Published Feb. 3, 2010

The city’s Centennial Committee has officially sanctioned 20 events to celebrate the city’s 100th birthday this year.

Many of the events are regular activities of community organizations that would have taken place any year and simply have the appropriation of the Centennial Committee.

But others are geared toward the centennial and focus on the city’s history.

The committee of volunteers, an outgrowth of the Fairview Park Community Council, decided last year to sponsor a series of smaller events throughout the year to celebrate the city’s birthday instead of one grand event.

Still, many centennial celebrations are scheduled in conjunction with Summerfest, the city’s annual summer festival held at Bohlken Park, and two key historical dates.

On the evening of April 6, the Bain Park Cabin Restoration Committee will sponsor a chicken dinner at the historic landmark. The date marks the 100th anniversary of when residents of the southern part of Rocky River Village petitioned the state to create a separate township, named Goldwood Township. Only 100 tickets for the dinner will be sold at a price of $20.10 each.

“A lot of things are going to happen at Summerfest,” said Leah Trainer, co-chairwoman of the Centennial Committee. At a planning meeting Jan. 27, Trainer said the committee is planning a birthday cake design contest at Summerfest, scheduled this year for July 16-18.

Most community organizations already participate in Summerfest and use it as their main fundraising activity of the year.

Sept. 10 is considered the official birthday of Fairview Park, as that’s the day the approved City Charter arrived from the state capitol. As the date falls on a Friday this year, Fairview High School will host a home football game, which will include many centennial commemorations.

Also on Sept. 10, Gilles-Sweet Elementary School will gather all its students for a historic panoramic photograph.

At the Jan. 27 planning meeting, some organization representatives expressed frustration that many residents aren’t aware 2010 is the city’s centennial year. A tight budget means the city has not earmarked any money specifically for the centennial celebration, Mayor Eileen Patton said.

Trainer said she hopes public awareness will grow as officially sanctioned events take place.

“I can see as the year goes on, it will build,” she said.

The Fairview Park Chamber of Commerce has taken on the task of developing a centennial logo that will be displayed in all local businesses, Trainer said.

The Fairview Park Historical Society is working with the Fairview Park Library branch to create displays on the community’s history, said Deb Shell, vice president of the society. The organization is also planning a bus tour of the city’s centennial homes on July 17, Summerfest Saturday. The historical society’s Bain Park Cabin Museum will also hold regular hours during the summer, Shell said.

Other officially sanctioned centennial events include:

• “A Toast to Fairview Park,” 7 to 10 p.m. Feb. 20. The wine-tasting event, hosted by the Fairview Park Junior Women’s Club, will take place at the American Legion Hall, 22001 Brookpark Road. Tickets are $25 per person.

• “Ethnic Heritage Festival,” Sept. 19 at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, 5390 West 220th Street. The all-day event will include food and ethnic dancing, Deacon Dan Surniak said. “It’s something we’ve been wanting to do and looking for an excuse to do,” Surniak said.

• “Halloween Parade,” 6:30 p.m., Oct. 30, at Gilles-Sweet Elementary School, 4320 West 220 Street. The Fairview Park PTA Council will reintroduce a Halloween parade for children, which Trainer said was a popular community tradition in the 1970s and ‘80s.

The city’s Web site, www.fairviewpark.org, now includes a calendar listing all sanctioned centennial events, said Bridget Hinkel, administrative assistant to the mayor and co-chair of the Centennial Committee.

On the Web:

• City of Fairview Park